1st July 2009 Skills assessment – Subclass 457 visas
As from the 1st July 2009, The Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) have made the decision that certain applicants for the Subclass “457″ (Business (Long Stay) 4 year Temporary visa must now have their skills Formally Assessed by Trades Recognition Australia (TRA). Over time, the initial list of Skilled Occupations as well as Passport holders will be expanded upon.
Until the 1st July 2009, applicants were able to apply for the “457″ visa without having their skills assessed. It also allowed for those holding the “457″ visa for at least 2 years to apply for the Employer Sponsored 5 year Permanent Visa, again, without having their skills assessed.
The initial list of skills which must be assessed by TRA is:-
- Welder (First Class)
- Motor Mechanic
- Fitter
- Metal Fabricator
- Chef/Cook.
Applicants for the above mentioned 5 skills who are also on an initial list of Passport holders from the following countries, are required to have their skills formally assessed:-
- Brazil
- China
- Fiji
- Papua New Guinea
- India
- Philippines
- South Africa
- Thailand
- Vietnam
- Zimbabwe
In the furure, the list of skills and passport holders will be expanded upon over time.
There are some circumstances where DIAC will not require the TRA skill assessment. An example may be where a Primary Applicant is currently a “457″ visa holder and also holds the relevant Australian Qualification or Australian Registration/ Licence for the Nominated skilled occupation.
Applicants from the above countries can apply through TRA at any time from now on. The assessment is based upon the Formal Training and Structured Regonition of Previous Learning. This assessment will be carried out by Certified Recognised Training Organisations (RTOs) –
http://www.deewr.gov.au/Skills…A/Pages/default.aspx - at a cost to the applicant.
Those applying for this skill assessment through the RTO, need not enclose the Outcome Letter from the RTO. Applicants should complete the Skills Assessment Letter –
http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled…ls-assess-letter.pdf – which is available on the DIAC website and either attach it with the application or forward it to the Case Officer concerned with their application if they have already lodged their application.
